Combined exhibiting and dispensing apparatus.



S. W. CRANE.

COMBiNED EXH'IBITING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS. I

APPLICATIQN FILED FEB. 3. 1915.

1,242, 149., Patented Oct. 9, 1917;

- 3 SHEETSSHEET 2.

if I 60 2;

s. -w. CRANE. COMBINED EXHIBITING AND DISPENSING APPARATUS.

APPLICATION. FILED FEB- 3. I9I5. I I I Patented Oct. 9,1917.

.s iwmh -.ciie i ies eis se OKP HOM ooner- Nan AEIQI-IIBITVINIG Armmsrsasmearrmaws;

To all whom it'may'conc-era 1 Be it known that- I SAMUEL citizen of the United States; residing -at McAlester, inthe county'of Pittsburg and State of 'Oklahoma; have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Combined Exhibiting and Dispensing Apparatus of which the following is' a specification. My invention relates to an improved combined exhibiting and dispensing apparatus; Theobject of'the invention is :to associate in a single organization, means tofexhibit, unwind" and wind, "and i 'cutg' in the order nained,'. wire 'me'sh' screening or analogous material. I W "A further object of the invention is to generallyimprove and simplify the mech anism utilized incident to the'accomplishment of the various results noted above: In describing my invention"in-detail-ref: erence-will be had to" the accompanying drawings wherein" like characters denote like" or cor-responding parts throughout: the several-views, and in which Figure'l'is a view in vertical cross section V ofthe complete apparatus ormachine;

Fig. 2 is a"side'ele'va'tion Y 3 Fig. 3-is-a detail 'perspective'v-iew of the carriage or'mov-able'support'y 4 is a similar View of'themovable blade;" Fi'gt5 is-a similar view ofone of the retainingb'ands; and a I 1 Fig; 6 is -a similarview of one ofthe radial arms." I Before-proceeding with the description of the drawings 1-- desire'to call particular attention to the fact that while I have evolved my invention with special reference to. its use as a device for exhibiting and dis? pensing wire mesh screening, the same may be readily utilized, in a like capacity,.-for exhibiting and dispensing various other materials which arecapable' of being wound and unwound as will hereinafter appear. Referring noW to the drawings by numerals, 1 designates as an entirety anupright frame the same comprising inits-prefer-red embodiment standards 2; base 3 and connecting bars designated respectively 4 and 5.

A reel device designated as an entirety by the numeral 6 is mounted in a manner that its name implies between the standards 2 of the frame, a shaft 7, forminga part of the reel device acting'as its support. Shaft W CRANE,

7' 'isIsquare. or polygonal in cross-section as shown; Terminal disks or circular plates 8 also form. a part; of thereeli structure, ea h disk3.being provided witha plurality of pea ripherial: notches designated; .9; Notches 9 (when'rit is: desired'that:v the reel belfocked against rotation) receive acoacting pavfvlaor stop devicev 10,. said pawl-or; device being equipped With av weight member 11 which,

by. gravity,willzmaintainthe engaging 311 of: the: pawl normally j in ,y'ieldingj contact withthe peripheryof the'diSk or-plate.- A

single pawl; lOisprovided for; each disk. or plate, there'spectire paw'i bei g m un ed forcmovement oni and -withga bar 12 pivoted at. its .-.respective terminals to ,the standards 2;. saidfbar beingjprovided with vtreadle members 13 ,actntable 'to' disengage the The said arms are arrang n 12 being providedwith an opening 14 for a purposeto be hereinafter fullydescribed, and the enlargement- 1-3? being. .provided with an opening 1f5 of1asize and. shape to receive the-shaft 7 whereby ,toprovide for rotation of the several. reel parts in unison When it'is desired that the reel be turned. Each armmay be (adjusted longitudinally of the shaft, a set screw 16 being; associated with-each arm to lock it subsequent to a d+ jnstment.

of uniformly spaced openings l6, the corresponding disk openings being in alinement. with each other and with-the openings 14; formed in the radial arms-.

As. shown to advantage in Fig. 2. of: the drawings. the several. arms- 10 (or specifi: cally theenlargements 13 thereof), are arranged upon the shaft 7 in abu-ttingrela tion, the outermost arms being; spaced equidistant from the shaft terminals the open,- ings formed in the several. arms being in alined-relation, as suggested with the open ings formed in the end plates or disks. will be noted that the distance between. the several arms and the disks 8 increase as the arms progress circumferentially of the shaft 7 on one side of said. arms and decrease. as

a the arms progress circumferentially of the Disks 8 are each providediwith a plurality shaft upon the opposite side of said arms,

* plate member 26 and arranged to embrace thereby providing a' novelmeans for sup porting rolls of screening material varying in width.

Each arm carries a pair of retaining bands 17 one of the said bands being ar ranged upon each of the respective lateral faces of the arm and in registery with the opening 14 formed therein. The bands 17 are divided to form a delivery space through which the screening material passes when being dispensed. The opposite terminals of the several bands, are provided with ears 18,- offset from the bandrproper, the ears providing an attaching means as well as a means whereby the band proper issupported spaced from that face of the arm to which it is attached. Retaining bands 19, (see Fig. 2) similar to'the bands above referred to, are mounted. on each disk 8, only however upon the adjacent lateral faces thereof-,- one retaining band of eachdisk forming with oneretaining band of each arm a novel support whereby the screening material when rolled may be held and displayed or exhibited in a manner permitting ready dispensation if desired. The band mounted on each'of the respective lateral faces of the radial arms coacts with the alined adjacent bandmounted on the disk to efiect a screen 'roll support, the several alined hands, by reason of the spacing aforesaid, providing for the support of rolls of screening material varying inlength.

Connecting bar 4 is in the nature of a shaft in thatit is mounted to rotate. Said shaft 4 (the bar being hereinafter referred to as a shaft) is preferably square in cross section and mounted at the upper extremity of the frame, each end of said shaft carrying a sprocket wheel 20 having connection with like sprocket wheels 21 and 22 through the medium of a chain 23-operat1ng over the three, said sprocket wheels being'arranged relatively as shown to advantage in Fig. 1. Sprocket wheel 21 is mounted on a stub shaft 24, the said shaft being longitudinally split or divided throughout a portion of its length as indicated at 25 for the purpose of receiving the screening material designated A in the drawings. The chain and sprocket wheel structure above referred to is provided upon the upper end of each standard 2. Each standard at its upper end is also provided with a plate member 26, said plate being disposed in parallel spaced relation to the standard 2 whereby to form with said standard a housing for the several sprocket wheels as well as to effect a bearing for the stub shaft 24. Sprocket wheel 22 is also mounted on a stub shaft 27 the shaft 27 carrying a crank handle 28 for manually rotating sprocket wheel 22 and imparting motion to shaft 24 and shaft 4 through traveling movement of chain 23.

A retaining band 29 is secured to the the inwardlyv projecting end of stub shaft 24, the said band acting as a support for the screening material. as it is wound on shaft 24 as will hereinafter appear.

7 A movable support member or carriage designated as an entirety by the numeral 30 is mounted for longitudinal adjustment on the bar 5, said carriage beingt movable toward and from the respective stub shafts 24 carried by each of the standards 2. The carriage in its vpreferred embodiment con sists of a carriage frame 31 comprising spaced frame portions between which sprocket wheels32 and 33-operate, sprocket wheel 32 being driven through rotation of shaft 4 and sprocket wheel 33 being driven 1 through the agency of a chain 34 arranged thereover. Bar 5 precludes lateraldisplace ment of the carriage 30 and at. all times maintains the said carriage in a position whereby the axis of rotation of sprocket wheel 33 is alined with the axis of r0- tation of the. respective stub shafts- 24. Sprocket wheel 33 is also mounted on a stub shaft 35 journaled in the frame 31,

the said shaft'35 being of a length to project beyond the respective lateral faces of the frame, each end of said. shaft being longitudinally split or divided as indicated at 36 whereby to accord and register with the stub shaft 24 and slit 25 noted above. Carriage 30 is further equipped with retaining bands 37 arranged oneon each of the respective lateral faces of the frame 31 and to embrace the respective shaft terminals as shown, each retaining band37 as well as the retaining band 29 referredto above being divided to form a receiving space through which the screening material passes in a winding operationas will hereinafter .appear. Carriage 30 is further equipped with rollers 39 which direct movement of the screening material asitis being wound. 7

Before contacting rollers 40, one being mounted at each end of the machine adjative grooves being formed within angle blocks 46 affixed, one to each of the standards2, in a plane immediately above the periphery of the reel. The enlargements of the movable blade above referred to serve as a means whereby said blade is maintained at an angle to blade 44vand moved inIa manner providing for the shearing cut above noted. The enlargement atone end of the bl'a'de i's "formed by extending said blade ,lateral ly'aslindicated at "47 a greater distance-than it is extended as at 48, the respective extensionsforming the enlargement, said enl'argementsbeing parallel to abut the bloclrs 46 and fit the grooves 45 noted above. The elongated extensions'47 are formed at diagonally opposite corners of the blade, consequentl the shorter extensions 48; must be likewise I" orn'1ed. rs return spring 49 normally maintains sai'd movabl'e blade in spaced relation from the stationary blade. 44

.so' astopermitof passagelof the Screening material A therebetween.

The actuating mechanism for the cutting device includes a rope or, cable 50'having oonnec'tion with the movable blade 43 at one endand with a rotatable shaft at the other, the said shaft being journaled at its respectiveiterininals within the standards. 2

7 and provided, adjacent each endfwith a dr'umuevicete over the periphery of which "the rope or cabl'e'350" operates. Saidishaft 51 isfurther -provided with a treadle 53 "movabletorotate the "drumand draw the knife blade'43 into engaging proximity with stationary blade 44, the two coacting in a manner lnsuring a perfect straight line out of the screening material A.-

A'tie'band 54 is{arranged-to' loosely encircle the retaining band 37 for a-purp'ose subsequently to appear.

. Operation of'the' machineorapparatus is asfollowszAssuining that the reel 6 carries a 'number of rolls,'it-is-but necessary that the reelberotated to provide for the dispensation of a quantity of the screening material from the roll desired. Rolls varying' in length are supportedby the reel, a.

' numberof rolls on eachside'ofthe arms arranged -hel-ical radial 1 relation as "above set forth Each a'rm' 10-acts asa support :for, one'eI-id of each of two rolls. The reel '6 isinanu'ally rotated toth-e desired degree,

being lacked in its adjusted position. by the engagement of pawls 10 with the endidisks.

The s -eenin 'mate1-'ia1 is then partially unmenu, the free end of'said-material being passed between the blades 43 and 44, against the rollers 40, th'roughthe receiving space formed in theret'a'ining bands 29 and 37 and finally releasably fastenedto the stub shafts 24 and fHa'ving thus been fastened,

crank handle 28 is turned to rotate sprockets 22,20 and 21, the latterbeing mounted on shaft'24. "Rotation of sprocket20 will di rect'ino'vement to sprocket 32 and, through the agency of the chain 34 rotate the shaft It will'thus be seen that shafts 24 and 35 rotate'in unison to wind the screening material thereon and at the same time unwind the. material from its original roll. When the proper length of "screeningmater'ial has been unwound from the original roll and wound upon the shafts 24-and 3 5, treadle 53 "is depressed to exert apullon J the rope .or'

cable and. consequently impartl movement to movable blade .43 against ;-tension a of its associated springi 49 As} the is movedtowardthestatioiiary blade, the material A, is cut or severed and ;,thatjport i on wound ion the shafts 24 and 3 5; subsequently removed in a rolledcondition through lateral .bbdily movement. of Carriage 3Q awaylfrom a-that shaft 24 with whichit hasbeen cooperating to provide for a winding opera-- tion as aforesaid. Before removing-the out and rolledfma- .terial'from the" machine or apparatus, said; material may be bound or tiedjn its rolled.

condition bylsimply 'slidin-g. wire band 54, normally encircling. onefof the-retainin bands, longitudinally of theroll, the said wireband, when intermediate, the rolled :ends,.being"t-ightened outwisted to act as a fastening-means as? pointed out.

.From the foregoing, ;taken i1 1 conneeti on with the accompanying drawings it -will be note'd that carriage "30 may bemc wedjtoward "eitherfside 0f the device or apparatus, to

1 I provldie tor tsuse in. connectionwith; e ther of the shafts: 24 that the screening material 1s simultaneously unwound, wound, and

measured uthrou'gh rotation of one gf Q 9 crank handles 28 and thatiirinmdiately; sub- I sequent to the. vaction last mentioned, the material .is cut atthelproper point by; simply "depressing "on either of the treadleidevices53.

, I In concluding attention; is calledgto the lldesire'to em hasize the factthat'various minor 1 changes "in ;detai'1s.,-of, construction, 1. proportion and arrangement of parts may be resorted to, when required, "without sacrifici ng any. of the advantages of my inven- 'tion, as: defined. in the appended claims.

.Having thus fully described-my invention, what Iclaim as new andidesire to secure by Lettersf'Patent, is a an? exhibiting apparatus, a" reel structure. comprising a shaft, disks mounted at opposite ends of the shaft, radial arms -.m-ounted 'on the shaft intermediate the disks,:said arms being adjustable longitudina-lly of the shaftmvary the space between the arms and the dis'ks, retaining me'ans;

mounted on each of the respective lateral faces ofthe arms, retaining means mounted on -the adjacent face's-ofthe disks, the retai'ning means on onesideof the several spaced members-adapted to support the remote ends of a plurality ofpairs of axially alined-rolls, of equal or unequal lengths,

"a'support connecting the members permitting rotation thereof, and a plurality of means adjustable onthe support for engaging between and supporting the adjacent ends of said pairs of rolls.

3x111 a display rack for rolled materials,

frame, a shaft journaled for rotation the adjacent sides of said members for sup- 1 porting the remote ends of a plurality of frame membenmounted for movementpartherein, spaced shaft, circumferentially arrangedmeans on pairs of axially alined rolls, said supporting 7 means onthe members being in opposed relarangement in tion, to dispose the pairs-in parallelism. and a plurality of arms on said shaft adjustable to engage the adjacent ends of each pair of rolls, and means on said arms similar to the first mentioned means for supportingsaid adjacent ends.

4. In a display rack forrolled materials, a frame, a shaft journaled for rotation therein, spaced members fixedly mounted on said shaft for rotation therewith, a plurality of circumferentially arranged supporting means on the adjacent facesof said memhere in opposed relation for supporting therebetween in parallelism a plurality of pairs of axially alined rolls of material, a

plurality of radial arms, mounted on said shaft for longitudinal adjustment thereon,

said arms being uniformly angularly spaced from each other 'in the same direction to define a helix to permit the ends of the arms toengage-between the adjacent ends of the pairs of rolls thereby permitting the ar- 7 the rack of rolls in circumferential order of uniform increasing and decreasing widths, and supporting means on] said arms for supporting the rolls.

5. In a display rack for rolled materials, a frame, a squared shaft journaled for ro- I tation therein, spaced disks fixedly mounted on said shaft, a plurality of circumferentially arranged supporting means on the adjacent faces of said disks, in opposed relation to support therebetween in parallelism,

the remote ends of a plurality of pairs of rolls ofequal or unequal lengths, a plurality of arms having corresponding ends provided with squared apertures to receive the said shaft whereby the arms may be arranged radially on the shaft andmaintained in angular spaced relation and adapted for adjustment longitudinally of the shaft, means members mounted on. the V spaced frame members located adjacent for securing the arms against movement subsequent to adjustment, the opposite ends of the arms being adapted to engage between the adjacent ends of said rolls, and

means including a pair of axially alined rotatable stub shaftsprovidedwith diametrical recesses in their adj acent' ends, spaced to receive .in said recesses the selvage edges of the unwinding end of'theimaterial, and means for rotating said shafts in un son to thereby wind up a roll to be dispensed.

-7. In a displayingand dispensingdevice for rolled materials, rotatable means for supporting parallel rolls of various lengths,

and an unwinding means including a rotatable element adjacent oneend of the rolls, a

roll of material tobe dispensed.

8. In a displaying and dispensing device for rolled materials, rotatable meansv for supporting a plurality of pairs of axially alined rolls of material, the rolls of the pairs being of equal or unequal length, and an unwinding means including split stub shafts rotatably mounted adjacent the remoteends of said rolls and around an axis; parallel to said rolls, a movable member mounted for movement parallel to the axis of rotationrof the rotatable means, apair of oppositely directed split stub shaftson said member in 1 alinementv with the first mentioned stub shafts whereby the unwinding end of one of the rolls may be engaged upon and between either one of the first mentioned stub shafts I and its opposed shaft on the movable memher as the case may be, and means for rotating said stub shafts in unison to roll up a quantity of material to be dispensed.

-9. In a displaying and dispensing device for rolled materials, a rotatable reel structure for supporting a plurality of pairs of axially alined rolls of materials, the rolls of each pair being of equal or unequal length, anv unwinding means including a pair 10f t 1e ends of the reel, a split stub shaft carried by each of said frame members in axial alinement for rotation about an axis parallel to the axis of the reel structure and adjacent the rolls, a squared shaft supported for rotation at its ends upon the frame members, gearing connecting said shaft with the stub shafts, a supporting rod connecting the frame members, a movable frame member mounted upon the rod, a pair of oppositely extending stub shafts mounted for rotation on said frame member in axial alinement with the first mentioned stub shafts, whereby the movable member may be adjusted to receive between one of its split shafts and an opposed one of the first mentioned split shafts, the selvage edges of the unwinding end of the material of a roll selected for unwinding, the material entering the split portions of the shafts, a gear carried by the movable member adapted for sliding engagement with the squared shaft, gearing connecting said gear and the split shafts of said movable frame member, means for rotating the squared shaft whereby all of said split shafts may be rotated in unison to form a roll of material to be dispensed, transversely split annular bands surrounding the split shaft whereby to assist in forming the roll and to support a band adapted to encircle the roll when formed, and means for severing the material between the supply roll and the roll to be dispensed.

In testimony whereof I afiix my signature 30 in presence of two witnesses. I

SAMUEL W. CRANE. Witnesses:

M. E. JoNEs, E. M. BROOKS.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

' Washington, D, G. 

